ASHRAE Government Activities and Advocacy

To establish ASHRAE as a leading source for expertise in the built environment and a resource for policy-makers in the development of legislation and regulations affecting the public, the HVAC&R community, and the engineering profession.

To this end the ASHRAE BC Chapter will:

Build relationships between the Society and all levels of government in Canada and with the appropriate international community representatives.

Facilitate the transfer of technical counsel and assistance on matters affecting the public, engineering profession and ASHRAE professional community.

Collect, digest and disseminate to members and staff relevant information regarding current or anticipated government actions.

Pursue technology transfer and government funding opportunities independently or jointly with other appropriate organizations.

ASHRAE Visit to Parliament

Ottawa, Ontario – The first Canadian ASHRAE Day On The Hill (DOTH) was organized by GGAC members from Region II and XI. On June 7th, ASHRAE members visited government ministers, members of Parliament, department leaders and other influential Ottawa agencies. They informed them how ASHRAE could be helpful in meeting Canadian government climate change objectives in three areas:

Research activities about use of flammable refrigerants to meet the agreed UNEP protocols from the recent Kigali conference.

Improved building operations by using ASHRAE Building Energy Quotient Program.

After the visit, participants plan to write formal thank you letters to every person visited and follow up with requested information. Each chapter involved were asked to follow up with their established connections and encourage new ones. Canadian GGAC members expressed interest to form a group dedicated to the DOTH initiative. For those of you interested to hold your own DOTH, set a date and make sure to prepare your volunteers a couple months in advance.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) Inviting Stakeholder Feedback on Version 1 of its "Technical Reference for Office Building Design".

A head’s up to all who may be interested. It looks like the Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is looking for input on their design standards for federal office buildings.

We should try to push for ASHRAE 189 standards, or at least Standard 55 and 90.1.

The Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada (ACEC) had the following information in their March newsletter:

Federal Budget Announcement - 2017-Mar-22

This is a quick overview of some of the Federal Budget items announced yesterday (taken from the ACEC e-blast Source Express, March 22, 2017):

A new initiative included in the budget in which ACEC sees potential merit is the initiative to develop new building codes to retrofit buildings to reduce energy consumption and to new net-zero energy buildings.

$12.9B in green infrastructure.

Infrastructure Partnerships Through Bilateral Agreements To promote closer, more effective collaboration between governments, the Government will work with provincial and territorial partners to establish and support infrastructure outcomes that make sense for Canadians.

The bilateral agreements will be negotiated in the coming months, and provide funding for:

$100 million to support next generation smart grid, storage and clean electricity technology demonstration projects.

$200 million to support the deployment of emerging renewable energy technologies nearing commercialization.

$220 million to reduce the reliance of rural and remote communities south of the 60th parallel on diesel fuel, and support the use of more sustainable, renewable power solutions.

$120 million to deploy infrastructure for electric vehicle charging and natural gas and hydrogen refuelling stations, as well as to support technology demonstration projects.

$182 million to develop and implement new building codes to retrofit existing buildings and build new net-zero energy consumption buildings across Canada.

$2 billion for a Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund to support national, provincial and municipal infrastructure required to deal with the effects of a changing climate.

Public transit infrastructure, including new construction and rehabilitation.

Infrastructure to support greenhouse gas mitigation efforts in provinces and territories, as outlined in the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.

Infrastructure that will help communities prepare for challenges that result from climate change.

Other green infrastructure that supports the health of our environment, such as water and wastewater infrastructure.

The unique infrastructure needs of rural and northern communities, including delivering more reliable energy networks and greater digital connectivity.

Cultural and recreational infrastructure to build stronger communities and neighbourhoods.